The 12 Days of Christmas
by onefowlswan
Summary: Lilly and friends have decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. So have the Marauders. What will happen? What presents will they give/get? Set in 7th year. Lilly and James are friends but not yet going out.
1. Christmas is Comming!

Christmas is Coming!

Lilly sat stared, bleary eyed at the clock in front of her. 5:25 am.

"It's too early" she moaned and rolled over.

She sat bolt upright as something smashed. She leaped out of bed and wrenched open her bedroom door. Lilly stared at the Head's common room in disbelief. The tall window that looked out over the lake was smashed and James Potter, the head boy, was lying on the floor with his wand out, covered in glass

"Potter, what are you DOING?"

"Decorating..." came the sheepish reply.

"Decorating our common room by breaking the window?" asked Lilly.

"Err... that wasn't me" said James.

"Then who was it?"

James didn't reply, he just pointed at a twitching bundle lying on the floor.

"What IS that?" asked Lilly, staring.

"Sirius" replied James.

"Ah, I see. And why couldn't he come in through the wall?"

"I wouldn't let him in. Um... he said he'd come to err... drop off some presents for tomorrow! But... err... I didn't want him to eh... ruin the decorations!!" James smiled guiltily as he realised that there was no way that Lilly would fall for his lame excuses.

Lilly stared at James for a second. _He's so cute when he smiles like that... WHAT? No, I did not just think that. James Potter ISN'T CUTE! Although he is a lot nicer than he was last year... LILLY! Don't think that!_ Lilly stoped halfway through berating herself as James's words sunk into her mind.

"Presents... tomorrow... OH MY GOD!"

Lilly ran into her room and flung on some clothes before dashing out of the fake wall that served as a door to the head's dormitory.

"Lilly? Lilly, what's wrong?" called James, but she was gone before he had even begun to speak.

"What do you think that was about?" He asked Sirius, who was still curled up on the floor.

"It would seem to me," groaned Sirius as he sat up and began inspecting the scratches he had gotten from the window, "That our head girl forgot that it is Christmas tomorrow."

"Oh, right. Well, at least she didn't see the decorations." Said James grinning.


	2. A Partrige in a Pear Tree

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Lilly groaned. Someone was shaking her.

"Go away Tuney, it's too early." She mumbled.

"Lilly, it's me, James."

"James?" Lilly shrieked, sitting bolt upright. "How did you get into my house? Oh, wait. No, don't worry about that. What time is it?"

"Its 9:30 am Lilly." Laughed James. "Oh, and Merry Christmas." He added.

"9:30! Wow, I've slept in. Merry Christmas to you too Potter." Replied Lilly sleepily.

James laughed. "Come on Lilly, let's open our presents."

"Where are they?" Asked Lilly, looking around her room bleary eyed.

"They're in our common room, come on!" said James grabbing Lilly's hand excitedly. She hadn't noticed how happy he was before now. He was practically bursting with contained excitement.

"Hang on Potter, just let me have a quick shower." Lilly replied; carefully removing her hand from James's vice like, but soft, grip.

She stumbled out of her bed and over to the bath room that was joined onto her bed room. She stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water as she did so. Lilly stood with the water cascading down her back for a minute or so before she woke up enough to remember that James was waiting for her so that they could open their presents. She washed quickly and cut off the water as she stepped out. She grabbed a towel and dried herself, before hurriedly throwing on some clothes and walking out into the common room.

Lilly stoped dead in her door way. She stared at the common room with a look of disbelief on her face. When James had said 'decorating', it had been an understatement.

The Head's Common Room had been transformed from a normal, if miniature, common room into a large, festive and welcoming family room. The fire was blazing in its grate, covering the room in a warm orange glow. The small, round, red mahogany table in front of it was covered in a white table cloth and so many different types of Christmas food that its short legs were almost bowed with the weight. The table was flanked by two large, comfortable looking chesterfield lounge chairs. Lilly glanced back at the fire and realised that the mantelpiece above it was decked out with tinsel and holly, red berries shining in the light. I mantle piece also held an assortment of small objects, ranging from angles to reindeer. The arrangement had been finished with a peppering of white, red and green candles. The painting above this had been transformed to depict the feast of Stephen with Good King Wenceslas looking out over it. The room in the painting looked almost as good as the common room.

Lilly's eyes drifted to the walls. It looked as if James had been listening to 'Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly' as he had been decorating; only, he'd taken it a bit further. Holly boughs were draped all along walls and were intertwined with mistletoe and Christmas star. She gazed at the walls, letting her eyes move along them until they reached the window. It had been fixed, and it now looked out over the Hogwarts grounds which were covered in pristine snow that sparkled in the cold December sun. It looked like a Christmas cake that someone's loving mother had sprinkled icing sugar over.

A voice came from the opposite corner of the room. "Lilly?"

Lilly pulled her eyes away from the window and turned around, only to stop and stare again. James was sitting on the floor beneath the Christmas tree, surrounded by brightly wrapped boxes that beckoned to her, as if they wanted to be broken into and have their contents spilled out onto her lap. Unfortunately, Lilly was riveted to the spot. The tree was the most beautiful thing that she had seen in the entire room. It spread its large, lower branches out in a fan with two gaps that were just the right size for people to sit in. The whole thing was decorated with golden tinsel and candles. Miniature angles flitted from branch to branch, playing lutes, flutes and drums. They sang carols sweetly, quietly and in perfect harmony. An assortment of bright baubles, silver icicles, gold objects crafted with the highest of skill and many other beautiful ornaments were suspended from its branches. They swung in a hypnotic way, each at a slightly different time but all somehow in harmony with the others. The star on the top of the tree shone with a brilliance that could not be rivalled. It was made of an intricate paten of winding metals that were combined together to create a dazzling piece of art that just topped of the overall magnificence of the tree.

James smile and walked over to her. He bent down beside her ear and whispered "Look up."

She did. What she saw took her breath away. The roof had been painted in a way that could rival the Sistine chapel. The edges were bordered with pictures of angles and people, all of whom she recognised. Suddenly she realised that they were all of her friends and family. There was Alice, Jenny, Pip, Remus, Sirius, Peter, her parents and, of course James. The all smiled and waved to her from their high space. She directed her eyes to the centre of the roof. That was where the most beautiful angel was painted. Lilly stared at her for some time before she realised that it was her. She breathed in sharply at how beautifully she had been painted.

"You did all this?" She asked turning to James.

"I had some help from Sirius, but I thought that he should go after he broke the window. He isn't all that good at decorating spells." He replied winking.

Lilly just stared at him, amazed. They stood that way for a few moments. Lilly suddenly seemed to realise what she was doing and looked down, blushing furiously.

"Um, let's go open out presents then" she mumbled.

James grinned widely and grabbed her hand, dragging her over to the Christmas tree. He sat down, pulling Lilly down next to him.

"You first!" He exclaimed, handing Lilly a large, very colourful box.

Lilly, grinned and ripped the wrapping off the box. Both of the heads burst out laughing when the beautiful music box she pulled out started singing Sirius's 'specially modified' Christmas carols loudly. She decided to close the lid when it started to sing "We three kings of Leicester Square. Selling ladies underwear. So fantastic, no elastic. Only tuppence a pair" to the tune of "We Three Kings of Orient Are". Once they had stopped laughing (a few minutes), Lilly passed James one of his presents.

Their morning continued like this, each opening a present one after the other, and then either eating it, laughing or smiling, until they had opened all of the presents under the tree.

Lilly stood up. "Just wait here for a moment Potter." She said turning and walking to her room.

She returned carrying a small parcel that was wrapped in bright paper with quaffles, snitches and broomsticks on it. She sat down and handed the parcel to James.

James took his present from her cautiously. "Thanks Evans, what brought this on?"

Lilly just shrugged.

She'd never given him a present before. He looked down at it. It was hard and rectangular. _A book._ He thought. _Why would she give me a book?_ He shrugged mentally and proceeded to rip the paper off it. It was a book. He stared at the cover for a long time before his face was split in two by a massive grin.

"A muggle joke book? How did you know I wanted one? Thanks heaps Lilly!" James launched himself at Lilly and enveloped her in a huge bear hug.

"Um, its ok Potter... would you mind letting me GO?" she muttered, startled.

"Oh, sorry." James said through his grin, as he let her go. "Here's yours" he said pulling a bulky envelope out of his back pocket.

Lilly smiled and took the envelope out of his hands. She looked up at him before carefully tearing open the top of the envelope. Something silver fell onto her lap. Lilly picked it up and gasped.

She was holding the most exquisite bracelet that she had ever seen. The silver band had small green and red jewels handing off it. There were twelve spaces for larger objects, supposedly charms. One of these spaces was filled. Lilly picked up the charm that filled the space. It was a beautifully crafted silver pear tree with a tiny, but amazingly life like, partridge sitting in it. Lilly stared at it for a while longer.

"Do you like it?" asked James. "I tried to get the red and green to be the same as your hair and eyes."

"I love it." Lilly murmured.

She looked up into James's face and beamed. His answering smile was full of relief and happiness. Lilly stepped forward and hugged him. He hugged her back.

Lilly let go "How about breakfast?" she asked.

James leaped up and ran to the table in front of the fire. Lilly smiled and followed.


	3. Two Turtle Doves

Two Turtle Doves

Lilly opened her eyes slowly and stared at the roof. She stretched her arms up in front of her and saw a beautiful bracelet on her left wrist. She sat up and began to examine it. Her study helped to bring back memories of the previous day. They dripped through the barrier between her conscious and subconscious minds like cold honey off a spoon. As they warmed up, they began to flow faster until they were a raging torrent bursting its dam.

_Lunch – Christmas Day_

Lilly walked into the Great Hall and began to look for her friends. She spotted them half way down the Gryffindor table, sitting with the Marauders.

The red head started down the table to join them but before she could get there she was swept off her feet by an over enthusiastic James Potter. He ran with her in his arms, protesting and hitting him, for the rest of the way. He deposited her on the bench between Alice and Jane, Lilly's friends. He then leaped over the table to occupy the space between Sirius and Remus.

"Hey Lilly, where've you been all morning?" Alice asked.

"Oh, in my common room." She replied airily.

"What on earth were you doing in there?"Said Jenny, appalled. "Not homework, I hope!"

Lilly laughed. "No, I was opening presents (thank you for those everyone), eating the BEST breakfast EVER, enjoying the decorations and playing chess and some card games with Potter."

"Oh, that's ok I suppose." Jenny mumbled. The boys laughed and were soon joined by the girls.

The group sat there for at least two more hours talking, laughing and generally having fun. Each person told everyone what presents they had received and the rest of the group had to guess who had given it to them. Everyone guessed Sirius's presents.

Lilly was the last person in the group to go. All of her presents had been guessed right although it took the group some time for a few of them. The last object that Lilly told them about was the bracelet. She held up her hand, saying "Last one is this bracelet."

The whole group was silent for a moment before they all yelled "JAMES!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Nice idea mate!" said Sirius.

"It's beautiful James! Where did you find it?" Alice asked.

James blushed slightly. "I made it" he mumbled.

Everyone began to congratulate him on such a wonderful creation. Lilly sat studded for a moment. There was only one thing going around her head for about a minute; _He made me this? Wow._ Suddenly, she stood up and walked over to James. The group went silent, waiting to see what she would do. Although Lilly and James were friends, Lilly was still known to lose her temper with him. Often explosively.

Lilly walked up to James and stopped in front of him. She paused for a moment before bending down to hug him.

"Thank you." She whispered.

James just smiled.

After lunch, Lilly, Jenny, Pip and Alice went back to the Gryffindor girl's dormitory and spent the day talking whilst the boys went off and began to plot pranks for the next semester.

Dinner involved a lot of laughter and food before they all retired to bed thoroughly exhausted.

_Lilly's Room – Morning_

Lilly was brought back to the present by something knocking on her window. She leaped out of bed and raced to let the snowy owl inside. It landed with a 'thunk' on her window sill. The owl spread out its beautiful, pristine, white wings and regally offered its foot to Lilly. Tied to its ankle was a silver envelope with curling calligraphy spelling her name in sparkling, emerald green ink on the front. She untied the letter and gave the great snowy a treat from her stash of owl food. She kept a well supplied bundle for occasions like this. The owl at the treat and took off out her window, which she promptly shut behind it.

Lilly turned and examined the envelope. It bulged at the bottom slightly making it look as if it held a small object. She opened it. The first thing that she pulled out was an exquisite silver charm. It fit perfectly into the second space on her bracelet. The two silver birds, joined at the beak, spun and danced for a moment before they settled down onto her wrist. Lilly took the opportunity to take a closer look at them. After a moment of examination she realised that they were a pair of turtle doves, flawlessly crafted of the finest silver. Every minute detail was visible, from the birds' eyes to the lines in their feathers. The longer she looked at them the more details she found.

Lilly ripped her attention away from the amazing creation on her wrist and back to the envelope. The next thing that she pulled out was a scrap of parchment. There were only three sentences on it. It said:

**Two turtle doves,**

**And a partridge in a pair tree.**

**Love,**_** James Potter**_

Lilly smiled.

"Thank you James." She murmured to her room.

**A/N:** Hope you liked it! It's not my fav. chapter so far so I don't expect you to like it too much. Anyway, thanks for reviews! They were quite helpful!


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